A Never Ending Chase
by Tohda
Summary: You can't have a police and thief be friends. It's impossible. After all, the game between a detective and thief is like a never ending chase. That is, unless something happens. This is the story about the never ending chase between two people.
1. Prologue: The Police and the Robber

**Title:** A Never Ending Chase  
**Author:** Angalomeion  
**Rating:** PG–13  
**Characters:** Main: Kaito Kuroba, Kudou Shinichi (For other characters, not yet definite)  
**Pairings:** Kaito/Shinichi

**Word Count****: **2156  
**Summary:** You can't have a police and thief be friends. It's impossible. After all, the game between a detective and thief is like a never ending chase. That is, unless something happens. This is the story about the never ending chase between two people.

A Never Ending Chase

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan.

A/N: This is my first time writing DC Fanfiction so please leave comments so I'll know what I can do to improve.

Also, this fanfic wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for clover_magic. I've gotten my inspiration to write this fic from reading her stories so this fic is for her.

Prologue: The Police and the Robber

"_Let's play Police and Robber!" _

"_But I don't want to play!"_

"_Come on! I'll let you be the police!"_

"_I'm reading! And just so you know, you always let me be the police."_

"_But you like it. Besides, reading all those books will make you real old before you know it."_

"_Better than you fooling around with magic. I swear, if you continue inhaling smoke from those bombs, you're going to develop some kind of lung problem."_

"_Come on! Don't be such a spoilsport. Fine, I'll develop lung cancer. You, on the other hand, will grow white hairs before you turn fifteen. Now can we forget about our depressing future and focus on enjoying our being five years old by playing Police and Robber?"_

_There was a soft thump as one of the boys placed the book he was reading down. _

"_Fine," he sighed. "But I'll be the police."_

"_Aren't you always?" the other boy smirked before running off to hide. "Don't go talking too much when you've found me, Shin–chan! Otherwise, I might get away while you're explaining your deductions."_

"_Don't call me Shin–chan, you idiot magician!"_

* * *

"_Can you tell me something?"_

"_What's that?"_

"_Why do you like being the Robber?"_

"_Why do you like being the Police?"_

"_Don't throw the question back at me, idiot."_

"_Ah, very mean, Shin–chan – ow!" a whack on the head caused the speaker to cry out. "What's wrong with you?"_

"_I told you how many times –" _

"_DON'T CALL ME SHIN – CHAN!" the two said simultaneously._

"_I know," the other rolled his eyes. "Give me a break."_

"_Anyway, back to the question, why?"_

"_The same reason you want to be the police. For fun."_

"_How could it be fun to be a thief? A thief breaks the law. A detective would be much better."_

"_Ah…. But if that reasoning would be valid, there wouldn't be any thieves in the world."_

"_Still, where's the fun in running from the law?"_

"_Same thing as running after those who break it. You like being the police because you enjoy finding clues and deciphering them. You like to solve mysteries that baffle most people and you enjoy running after lawbreakers. But that's you. So naturally, YOU would enjoy being a police. Or, as you would say, a detective. For me, it's a different thing. I find more thrill in running from a person whose intellect equals my own. The challenge of the heists, the confrontations with the police…. They're all part of the adventure of a thief. Now, imagine, if there were a magician thief. That would be even more exciting! Escape routes would be far more creative and exciting compared to the boring run–down–the–stairs mode of escape."_

"_You talk about this as though it were a game."_

"_Aa, but it is a game. A game between the detective and the magician thief."_

* * *

"Think you can beat me, tantei–kun?" Kaitou Kid smirked at the detective standing in front of him.

He had just retrieved the gem, which was the main goal of the heist. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one he was looking for. Now, he was on the rooftop, about to escape when the teenage detective, who had just recently regained his original body, showed himself after sealing Kaito's escape route.

"I already have," Kudo Shinichi smirked back. "You never should have sent me that notice."

"And miss my favourite detective in action?" Kaito grinned. "Of course not! Although I never expected you to chase me this fa–!"

Kaito quickly ducked as a brick whizzed past where his head was seconds ago. He barely dodged the tranquilizer that Kudo fired right after kicking the brick. Kaito ducked away to hide behind a few boxes which were nearby.

'Damn, that kid's sharp!' Kaito winced as he noted the strong wind blowing around him. Nope. The glider was definitely not an option. At least not from where he was standing. The only escape route which the detective didn't manage to find was near, but to reach that place, he had to keep Kudo distracted. 'Shouldn't be too hard.'

Kaito smirked to himself.

"That wasn't so nice, Tantei–kun. Is that how you treat your idol?" Kaito called out.

Shinichi blushed for no reason.

"What do you mean by that? Who said you were my idol?" Shinichi asked hotly.

"Aa, but why else would you pursue me this much?" Kaito grinned to himself as he heard the detective sputter. "So, how did you figure out where I would be?"

"It wasn't too hard once I figured out what you were looking for," Shinichi explained, regaining his composure. "I studied the patterns of your heists and from that, I could deduce what you were looking for and how you figure out that the gems you steal weren't what you needed. And since the rooftop's the only place where the moonlight can shine through without obstruction, you should be here. Also, you couldn't be down with the police because this time, there are only a few people. With your heist being kept a secret from the public and only a few policemen on this case, it would be hard for you to suddenly replace anyone."

While Shinichi was busy with his explanation, Kaito had already prepared to leave the scene. However, he couldn't resist teasing the detective a bit before leaving.

"Hey, tantei–kun," Kaito grinned at Shinichi, looking over the boxes to face the detective, "as much as I enjoy our conversation, I have an appointment to keep."

Shinichi quickly ran forward but by then, Kaito was already standing on a pole connected to the side of the building.

"Maybe next time, tantei–kun!" Kaito gave a mock bow. The wind had died down a bit and was perfect for gliding. "By the way," Kaito turned to give the detective one last look before leaving, "you really ought to stop talking too much. You'll only give me more time to escape! Ja ne!"

And Shinichi could only scowl as the thief flew away.

* * *

"Shinichi!"

Shinichi opened his eyes and moved his head towards the voice.

"Shinichi, are you okay?" came Ran's worried voice.

"Hmmm…." It took Shinichi awhile to process the question. "Aa…. Yeah, I'm fine."

Liar. Shinichi was actually very tired and just wanted to sleep. Even though the last heist was two weeks ago, he never had any time to rest since the police kept bothering him about solving certain murders. So basically, all he wanted was to go home and collapse, not caring about the rest of the world. Of course, that wasn't even possible since Kid just recently sent a notice about the next heist which was going to happen tonight. There was no way he would miss trying to catch the elusive thief. Although he had to admit, collapsing and not caring about the world for at least ten hours sounded tempting.

"You've been working so hard with those cases. You should try letting the police do their jobs on their own. You're still a student after all. You can't keep doing their work for them. Did you work on a case again last night?" Ran asked.

"No," Shinichi said. "But Ran, if they need my help, I can't just turn my back on them. If I let the crime go unresolved, more crimes would be committed."

"But more crimes happen everyday," Ran said worriedly as she took note of her best friend's face which was very pale. "Besides, if you do get sick, wouldn't that make you unable to help? Why don't you take care of yourself more?"

Shinichi grinned tiredly.

"I do," Shinichi answered.

Ran paused for a second, studying the man for a while.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse," Ran finally suggested. "Or I could try to find something to help with – !"

"I'm fine, really," Shinichi forced a grin. "Just need some sleep. I stayed up really late last night doing homework."

Another lie. Well, not really. He did stay up late but he was actually trying to figure out the possible escape routes and the possible traps that Kid might have for the next heist, which will be occurring later. However, thinking about it now, it wasn't just sleep that he needed. His head has been aching a lot since yesterday. At least, more than the usual kind of headache people get from the lack of sleep. It was then that he deduced that it wasn't a good sign. After all, headaches shouldn't lead to coughing and a temperature rise. He could only hope that he wouldn't get THAT sick before the heist is over. Just a few more hours, really. And then, he can have all the time in the world to sleep and recover.

* * *

That night, Shinichi found himself in the fire exit, panting hard. He was on his way to the rooftop but then, he never expected that his condition would get worse. A few flight of stairs and already he was out of breath. He had no choice but to stop for a while.

"Damn!" Shinichi cursed as he found his vision blurring. "This can't be happening…."

He swayed on his feet before starting to fall. The last thing he could see was a flash of white before he finally lost consciousness.

"Tantei–kun?" Kaito shook the detective a bit, trying to wake him. When Shinichi didn't respond, Kaito frowned a bit, putting a hand on the other's forehead.

Warm…. Too warm…. Definitely not a good sign.

"Even when you're unconscious, you still manage to delay me or foil my plans a bit," Kaito grinned as he hoisted the detective up. "You never make it easy for me, do you?"

Kaito quickly got to the rooftop and secured Shinichi on his glider before taking off.

"Maa, I guess I'll give you a chance this time. Can't have you dying on me or else, the game would be over."

* * *

"_It can be a boring game really."_

"_Well, the usual scenario has the thief running from the police. It would be boring for you. Unless, of course, the thief is exceptionally good and can incorporate magic in his crime. That's probably the only time you'll find the game exciting considering how much you adore magic."_

"_True. But it's not really just the magic. If the thief is exceptionally smart, and if the detective is equally as good, then they could make the game exciting. It doesn't have to have magic. All you need is a battle of wits."_

"_Isn't it always a battle of wits?"_

"_Nah…. Usual scenarios are more like a battle between one thief and a whole squad of police. Now that is unfair. A one–on–one match is what makes it exciting."_

"_I don't think that really makes much of a difference. The situation's still the same after all."_

"_Who said anything about the police still chasing after the thief? True, it'd be exciting to have a one–on–one match but I didn't say that the situation will always be one with the police chasing the thief."_

"_What else is supposed to happen? The thief will chase the police?"_

"_Of course!" the child gave a big grin._

_His companion snorted._

"_You're crazy!"_

"_Hey! Come on! Give me one good reason why the thief cannot chase the cop!"_

"_Because the thief would then be securing a one–way trip to jail, that's why!"_

"_So you mean they can never be friends?"_

"_How can a thief and police be friends?"_

"_Well, you never know! Besides, going back to the thief chasing the cop, it's possible. You just have to be real good – wait! Don't look at me like that! I didn't mean that the thief would just stand there and wait for the policeman to come near. Come on! Use your head! As if the thief could just tag the policeman and say 'I have you now!' That's almost like tagging the 'it' even when you're supposed to be running. That's just plain stupid."_

"_Funny," the other kid muttered. "That's exactly what you did when we played tag before." _

"_Hey…. Are you trying to imply something?" _

"_No, you are. I'm just saying, there's no way a thief would chase a cop unless he needs something from the cop."_

"_True. But the point is, the thief does need something from the cop. That's why there has to be a chase."_

"_Really? What would a thief want from the police?"_

"_It's a mutual relationship actually. The thief needs the cop to NOT throw him in jail. Meanwhile," the kid who played robber smirked, "the police needs the thief to keep him on his feet. After all, without thieves, there wouldn't be any point of having cops."_

"…_. Somehow, that reasoning just sounds wrong…."_

"_Fine, I'll help you understand. I'll tell you the story of the never ending chase."_

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Tale

**A Never Ending Chase**

Disclaimer: Characters not mine. Just the plot.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Thesis took up a lot of time (I was in school even on Sundays, it was practically my HOME and not my SECOND HOME though I consider it as HELL now). Graduation, boards coming up…. So updates will take a while. I'm planning to work on my stories once I'm done with boards. But here's one new chapter to this fic. I'm really sorry if the characters tend to be off (out of character). I haven't watched DC in a while, nor have I read the manga so I kind of lost my grasp on their personalities (which is also another reason why I can't continue writing)….. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Those really made my day! :D

Had to re-upload when I realized that apparently, I haven't corrected the 'tantei-san' in the first part of this chapter… (since I wrote that part way before and wrote the latter with the 'tantei-kun' only last night). But while doing so, I also corrected the first part (prologue). Sorry. Never really knew before what Kaito calls them. Anyhow, thank you, Madame of all Manga for telling me! :D

Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Tale

"_The story starts with a cop and a thief. As usual, the thief goes around stealing valuables while the cop tries to catch him and put a stop to his acts. Of course, they go through a lot together. Some situations may be exhausting to both parties, some may be exciting… and sometimes, there are situations that a cop and a robber would never expect to happen." _

There were many things in the world that can be considered strange. But not one of them would probably be stranger than this. At least, for Shinichi that is.

The situation was rather crazy. Here he was, sitting on his bed while the thief he was trying to catch was fussing over him.

"Be a good little boy and open wide, tantei–kun," Kaito grinned humorously, as he held a spoon in front of the detective.

Shinichi took one look at the spoon and then turned to the thief.

"No, thank you," Shinichi said, flatly.

"Come on, Master Detective," Kaito said, "patients can't be choosers."

"You're not my doctor," Shinichi retorted. "Secondly, why should I voluntarily eat something that might kill me?"

"Eh? That's not nice, Shin–chan," Kaito smirked as he noted the detective twitching slightly at the nickname. "I took pains cooking this for you."

"Is THAT even edible?" Shinichi wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of the 'food' Kaito was feeding him.

"Of course it is!" Kaito said defensively. "Would I feed it to you if it weren't?"

Shinichi just raised an eyebrow. Then, he frowned when something caught his eye.

Wait…. Was he hallucinating from the fever or did that 'thing' on the spoon move?

"No, thank you," Shinichi said, stubbornly. "Eat it yourself if you want your 'pains' to be well paid off, but I've no plans of dying anytime soon."

"Hmm…." Kaito looked at the spoon. He barely hid the grimace when the 'food' suddenly wiggled. He then threw the spoon along with the bowl into the trashcan.

When he turned back, he found Shinichi smirking.

"Okay," Kaito shrugged. "So the food decided that it didn't want to be eaten and wanted to be a living thing instead. You can't blame me for that. Let's have take–out then. Pizza should do."

"Make sure you pay for it."

"Of course!" Kaito said in mock anger. "What do you take me for? No – wait! Don't answer that! Let me just go and call."

Shinichi gave him a look.

"And make sure it comes from your wallet and not mine," Shinichi added.

"Then you're not eating any!" came Kaito's reply from outside the room.

"Sick people can't eat pizza, idiot!"

"Well then, you can drool while you watch me eat the delicious pizza!"

"…_.However, there will come a day when the robber realizes that something had to change. One day, he's going to realize that he needs something from the cop." _

Kaito hummed to himself as he browsed through the books in the library.

"Boy, you sure can read," he commented without looking at the other occupant in the room.

"Shut up," Shinichi muttered as he continued reading the book in front of him. "And when are you planning to leave? In case you haven't noticed, this is my house and once I'm well, I would definitely catch you and turn you over to the police."

"Aw, even after I've taken good care of you?" Kaito grinned as he saw a book by Maurice LeBlanc. He reached for the book.

"I'm surprised you have these lying around," Kaito mentioned, turning to look at the detective. "Lupin and Sherlock… or should I say Herlock… aren't really companions, Tantei-kun."

He only received a glare from Shinichi. Unfazed, Kaito turned his back to the other teen and thumbed through the pages of the book on Arsene Lupin. Something fell to the ground and when Kaito picked it up, what he saw caused him to freeze for a few seconds, his actions clearly observed by the detective sitting a few feet away from where he stood. Putting his poker face back on, he tried not to shake as he looked at the picture of his father standing beside a woman who, he assumed, is Shinichi's mother.

'She's….' Kaito realized that this was the woman he met when his dad brought him to the restaurant to meet with someone. The woman was one of his dad's students and trusted friend.

Kaito suddenly grinned. Maybe his dad mentioned something to the woman and she might have mentioned something to her son – Shinichi.

"Oi, Tantei–kun," Kaito smirked as he turned to look at the detective.

Shinichi just raised an eyebrow in question.

"Want to be my assistant?"

Kaito quickly moved away as a book sailed over to where his head would have been.

"_When that day comes, the thief will make his way into the cop's life, this time, as a friend. If not, then as a stranger. Basically, the trick is to get the police to trust him. It isn't easy of course. After all, to the police, there are people that are not meant to be trusted. The thief is one of those kinds. So the police will be wary." _

Days later, Shinichi could be found running around the city, trying to hide from some girls.

'This has to be karma!' Shinichi thought exasperatedly as he ducked behind a bush. Seconds later, a thundering of footsteps could be heard rushing past.

"Aw, need help, tantei-kun?" a voice teased lightly.

"Kid!" Shinichi growled. "I don't need your help! Now go before I choose to strangle you over hiding from those crazy girls!"

"But you can't do that, Shin–chan!" Kaito grinned. "Cause if you do, they're going to hear me scream and they'll find you."

"Die!" Shinichi glared. "Die and come back as an insect so I can kill you again!"

"But you wouldn't kill a harmless butterfly now, would you?"

Shinichi blinked, suddenly speechless before glaring again.

"You'll probably come back as a fly. Now go away!" Shinichi growled.

"No!" Kaito latched onto Shinichi, hugging him close. "I need to protect Shin–chan!"

A slight twitching and then, squeals could be heard approaching their direction.

Shinichi let out a string of curses and tried to extract himself from the magician's hold.

"Let go, you thief!" Shinichi ordered, trying to free himself.

"Yada!" Kaito pouted childishly.

The sound of the girls approaching was getting louder.

'Oh no!' Shinichi groaned inwardly and suddenly gasped as he fell backwards when the thief pushed him down.

"Shh!" Kaito said, covering Shinichi from view. "You wouldn't want them to find you now, would you?"

Shinichi was about to reply but stopped when the footsteps passed them. He listened closely and when the sound of footsteps faded away, he gave a small sigh of relief. Suddenly, he became more aware of the position he was in. He was lying on the ground, the thief on top of him. Kid's face was so close to his own face that Shinichi found himself blushing from embarrassment.

"Get off!" Shinichi suddenly panicked, scrambling away the moment the magician pulled back.

Kaito smirked as he looked at the reddening face in front of him.

"Aww, and I thought we were making progress!" Kaito said.

"Urusai!" Shinichi looked over his shoulder and then at Kaito. "I… uh…."

"It's okay, Tantei–kun," Kaito grinned, not letting the detective finish his sentence. "I understand. You're welcome!"

With that, Kaito disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shinichi looked at the spot where the thief disappeared. He then snapped out of his thoughts.

'Stupid, thief! This was all his fault!'

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Shinichi," Ran asked as she and her friend walked towards school.

"I'm fine, Ran," Shinichi answered. "I told you, I didn't fall from THAT great a height. Sonoko was just exaggerating."

"You mean you didn't jump off the building trying to catch Kid?"

"…. Well, I did but I didn't get hurt," Shinichi said.

"So Kid really did come back for you when he realized you jumped?" Ran persisted.

"Yes!" Shinichi said, not wanting to think about the thief considering he failed at trying to capture the magician again.

"So why did you fall, if that's the case?" Ran asked, curious.

"Ask your best friend," Shinichi said, crossly. "Ask her what possessed her to jump off from the fifth floor of a nearby building when Kid flew past."

"So you fell when Kid decided to save Sonoko? From the FIFTH floor?" Ran exclaimed, shocked and also worried as she realized that her friend had fallen from a great distance after all.

"Don't be silly, Ran," Shinichi said, he stopped to kick a small stone on the path. "I doubt I would survive if I fell from that height. I just fell from the first floor. Well, at least close to the first floor."

"Shinichi!" Ran walked in front of her friend and looked at him carefully, trying to check for injuries. "Are you sure you aren't hurt anywhere? Meguri–keibu mentioned finding you unconscious."

"I was just tired and the fall probably knocked my already exhausted brain out. But I'm fine, really!" Shinichi insisted. "I landed on a mattress. A really, really thick mattress that shouldn't have been there but it was."

Ran bit her lip, looking a bit doubtful before resuming her place beside her best friend.

"Do you think he prepared it beforehand?" Ran suddenly asked.

"Who? Kid?" Shinichi looked at Ran, making a face. "I don't think so. He has a glider. I doubt he'd be worried about free fall even if he jumps off a building."

"Maybe he prepared it for you," Ran said.

They took a turn around a corner, nearing their school.

"I don't think so," Shinichi said. "He didn't know I was going to jump. I didn't even know it myself. And even if he did know, how was he supposed to know that I would land on that exact spot?"

"Well…." Ran's voice trailed off as she looked at the scene in front of her. She stopped walking.

"Oi, Ran, what's –?" Shinichi stopped when he saw what caused Ran to freeze.

Right at the entrance of their school, many students were pointing at the building in front of them. Some were whispering excitedly and others who saw Shinichi and Ran giggled and whispered more.

They were looking at a big banner. It was practically covering the whole school building.

"I don't think the principal knows about this," Ran whispered, also starting to giggle.

"I don't think so, too," Shinichi groaned, slapping his hand to his forehead. "I'm going to kill him!"

On the banner was a picture of Shinichi lying on a mattress, no doubt, from the recent heist which Shinichi and Ran were just talking about.

"You know," Ran said, looking at Shinichi, slightly amused. "I think he likes you."

"_But then, one can only be wary for so long. Someday, the police will let his guard down and before you know it, the police and the thief will become the best of friends." _

After hours of trying to explain to the principal that he had nothing to do with the banner, Shinichi was finally able to go home. It was way past dismissal time but the principal had wanted to talk to Shinichi about what happened in the morning. Now that he was cleared, Shinichi was free to go. By then, it was already getting dark. Shinichi sighed and walked towards the school gate. He was surprised to find Ran waiting for him by the gate.

"Ran!" Shinichi jogged a bit to reach her and they began walking home. "What are you still doing here? It's late."

"I know," Ran said. "But then, knowing you, you'll probably stumble into a case and end up going home late. You'll probably forget to eat dinner, too, so I might as well go with you so that I can be sure that you'll not make any detours.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize I drop you off before I get home?"

"But you won't be making any detours, right?" Ran smiled sweetly, raising a fist as a sign of threat. Shinichi gulped.

"I'll go straight home!" he managed to say.

They walked in silence for a while before Ran decided to break the silence.

"Neh, Shinichi," Ran started, "when did these all start?"

"You mean Kid making fun of me?" Shinichi continued when he saw Ran nod in affirmation. "I don't really know. I mean, I've always tried to catch him but things usually end during the heists. I'm not sure when…. Wait…. Now that I think about it, he hasn't stopped bothering me since the time I got sick."

"But that was almost three months ago!" Ran exclaimed. "Why is he suddenly trying to get your attention?"

"I don't know," Shinichi said in annoyance. "That idiot thief probably wants to drive me insane so that I'd quit trying to unmask him."

Ran looked at Shinichi before looking at the ground, thinking.

"Or maybe," Ran looked at Shinichi as a thought came to her. She smiled, "maybe he wants to be friends."

Shinichi stopped, shocked. He then shook his head.

"Impossible," he muttered.

As Ran continued talking to him, telling him reasons why the thief might want to be friends, Shinichi suddenly remembered the time he jumped off the building. He was so intent on catching the thief, he forgot that he was on the rooftop. However, before full panic could set in, he felt a hand catching him as he fell and when he looked up, he saw Kid looking at him, a look of fear on the thief's face before it was replaced by a smug look.

"Missed me, tantei–kun?" Kid had teased then.

"You wish!" Shinichi had muttered, turning away.

"Shinichi!" Ran's voice broke into Shinichi's thoughts.

"Huh?"

"This is my stop," Ran said. "I won't be accompanying you but please don't forget to eat dinner when you reach home, okay? And no detours. You really need to take care of yourself more often."

"Yes, Ran," Shinichi rolled his eyes in mock exasperation before smiling. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night!" Ran went up the stairs, disappearing into the agency which was her home.

Shinichi then continued walking towards his place. He thought about Ran's words earlier about the thief wanting to be friends. It was impossible! After all those times, why now?

Still, as Shinichi thought about the unwanted attention he had been receiving, he suddenly realized that it wasn't as bad as he thought.

A/N: Hope you liked it!


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